Chapter 937 Countdown to War
After preparing relevant materials and documents, Mansk took Cruz and his party to the military restricted area northwest of Dar es Salaam. The whole process was conducted by the Guards Division and Accompanied by security.
After all, Dar es Salaam is close to the first town in the capital of East Africa, so for the safety of the first town, not everyone can come and go at will around Dar es Salaam. Especially the military jurisdiction of the Guards Division.
This is also the first time that Cruz and other Spaniards have gone deep into the territory of East Africa. Except for the Spanish diplomats who can reach the first town, their usual area of activity is limited to the urban area of Dar es Salaam.
The weapons exercise venue is a training base of the Guards Division. Cruise and others got a preliminary glimpse of the appearance of East African soldiers here. It is now three o'clock in the afternoon, so there are many troops in the training base organizing afternoon routines. train.
"It is indeed a powerful army that can defeat Portugal and the United Kingdom. Whether it is the tightness of the organization or the appearance of the soldiers, it can be seen that this is a force with strong combat effectiveness." Cruise praised without exaggeration.
This made Falkid, the accompanying Guards Division officer, very comfortable. After all, it felt more fulfilling to be touted by a country like Spain that was also a great power.
Far Kidd introduced: "Mr. Cruz, our East African army has always restrained itself with the strictest requirements, attached great importance to discipline and training, and can achieve this effect day after day."
Cruise continued to praise: "If we in Spain If the Spanish army can be like the East African army, then I believe that even the Americans may not be able to overwhelm us on the battlefield, but it’s a pity...”
For Cruz, the Spanish army’s credibility is still relatively high The more you understand, the less optimistic you are about the outcome of this war.
Falkid comforted: "Spain, as a long-established power, may not be worse than the United States. There may be some gaps between the two navies, but that is caused by the gap in economic strength. The U.S. Army may not be able to see it, so it is equipped with advanced weapons. As well as being fully prepared, I believe that Spain will definitely teach the Americans a profound lesson in land battles.”
The main battlefield of the colonial war is the ocean, and the Spanish army has little chance of performance, and the colonial army and the Spanish mainland army. The gap is huge, but the Spanish colonial army's opponent is probably also the U.S. Navy.
Mansk said at this time: "As the saying goes, sharpening the sword will not waste time cutting wood. Advantages in equipment can often change the direction of the war, so you should introduce this rifle in large quantities in the colonies. Of course, I boast No matter how much, it is better to demonstrate directly.”
Soon the group came to the rainforest combat terrain simulated by the Guards Division, which basically replicated the rainforest combat environment, with dense jungles, rivers and other wetlands. type.
The soldiers of the Guards Division operated the m1895c jungle rifle and began various targeted demonstrations, including immersing the gun in water and shooting at targets in the dense forest.
Manske explained on the side: "We have made detailed modifications to the gun holding area. Sweat and rain can quickly flow away along the lines, and it has anti-slip function to ensure that you will not miss it."
"In When facing an enemy in a dense forest, surrounded by vegetation, the enemy can easily blend into the terrain. It is not easy to lock the target at this time, so the power of the bullet is increased, which can effectively increase the damage effect after hitting the target..."
At the same time, Mansk also promoted other products: "Look at this pair of rain boots, we designed them specifically for tropical jungle terrain. East Africa is a big rubber producer, so we also have certain advantages in raw materials. If you are interested in buying it, , you can give a certain discount... rainproof cloth... food cans..."
The performance and quality of most of these military products have been recognized by Cruise. After all, many of them are equipped by active troops in East Africa. Mature product. After the demonstration, Cruise said to Mansk and others: "Very good, I can decide to increase the purchase quantity of rifles to two thousand, but I can only decide the purchase quantity of rifles. Although other military products in East Africa are good , but I don’t have the relevant authority. At the same time, I am more interested in the East African Army’s clothing. I wonder if you can give me a set?”
Cruise's words made Mansk a little surprised. It is well known that the style of military uniforms in East Africa is "unique" in the world. It was even called "tramp troops" by the British and Portuguese in the early days of the South African War. It was mainly because it was too plain and unflattering. , of course, as the war progressed, this mainly gray and black military uniform became a nightmare for the British and Portuguese armies.
Of course, the outside world recognizes the combat effectiveness of the East African National Defense Force, but other countries are still not interested in East African military uniforms. To put it bluntly, due to the gap in early craftsmanship, the East African military uniforms are disliked by their own people. However, With the passage of time, the craftsmanship has been improved and the details have been improved. Although the East African military uniforms are still mainly "simple", the details are well handled and they are no longer as crudely made as in the past.
In addition, the Guards Division is the most well-equipped unit, and their uniforms are also the most cutting-edge in the East African army, so they can attract Cruz's attention.
For Cruise's request, Mansk naturally agreed directly. After all, he could complete the sales promotion work and sending a set of military uniforms was simply a small problem.
The weapons sold by East Africa to Spain this time are not only limited to the m1895c jungle combat rifle, but also the conventional Mauser rifles equipped by the Spanish army, as well as some machine guns and small-caliber artillery.
The procurement of weapons and equipment is not all. The Spanish government ordered a large amount of military supplies from East Africa, mainly food, medicine, tobacco, etc.
Most of these goods are sent directly to the Philippines. As for Cuba, Spain is responsible for it. After all, East Africa has the advantage of distance from the Philippines, while Spain itself is closer to Cuba.
In this way, before the Spanish-American War started, East Africa had already made a fortune from Spain. Of course, Spain was not at a loss either. After all, the products provided by East Africa were of very reliable quality and the prices were relatively suitable.
While East Africa was conducting trade with Spain, the U.S. government was not idle and actively preparing for war. In addition to domestic public opinion using the Maine incident to further pressure Spain, it also intervened in Spanish rule in the Philippines and demanded that Spain The government carries out democratic reforms in the local area according to its own ideas.
This is actually to support the local resistance forces and allow them to continue to increase their efforts to fight against the Spanish colonial government. This has also further attracted the attention of the Spanish government to the Philippines. After all, Ernst has already buried it in advance. nail.
At that time, the Spanish government naturally did not believe Ernst's words. After all, the Philippines was not like Cuba. Cuba was within easy reach of the United States, while the Philippines and the United States were not that close.
But now that the United States is directly intervening in Spain's rule of the Philippines, this has confirmed what Ernst said before about the United States' ambition towards the Philippines. At least many people within the Spanish government believe it, so the Spanish government has to Increase the focus on the Philippines.
At the same time, under the mediation of the international community led by France, the negotiations between the United States and Spain did not go smoothly. For example, the United Kingdom completely sided with the United States at the level of public opinion and has clearly expressed its support for the United States. , in this case, it is naturally impossible for the United States to listen to France's advice.
So the Spanish government already had the idea of going to war. However, at this time, Ernst naturally did not want Spain to go to war prematurely, at least until the Philippines was armed. Therefore, with the persuasion of East Africa, he originally planned to go to war in April. The Spanish government, which has declared war on the United States, has postponed the decision until mid-May and continues to argue with the United States in negotiations to buy time.
In this tense atmosphere, the East African government fully supported Spain in preparing for war. A large amount of military supplies were transported from Dar es Salaam and Beira to Manila and other Philippine areas. East Africa even provided a dozen Coastal defense artillery, this is why Ernst hopes that Spain will not be as embarrassed in Manila as in its previous life.
(End of this chapter)